Unexpected Visitor
by Lucinda
Summary: AU post s3.  Someone unexpectedly pops into Willow's hotel room... Shortfic.
1. Unexpected Visitor

author: Lucinda  
  
rating: pg13  
  
main characters: Willow, Kurt Wagner  
  
disclaimer: I own nobody from BtVS or Marvel Entertainment/X-Men the Movie  
  
distribution: QuickFic, Wic, WLS, NHA, Bite Me, Twisting, Paula, anyone else please ask.  
  
note: AU post season 3. The Initiative is in Sunnydale, there was no ADAM, Willow felt unneeded and transfered to a different college.  
  
  
  
  
  
Kurt's mind was in confusion, spinning with fear and panic. He'd been taken from his home with the circus, abducted by persons that he'd never even seen and brought to a place where he was kept in a cell, drugged with something that prevented him from using his powers. They'd put some sort of complicated device on his head, with dozens of wired and a visor that went over his eyes, and wires that had been taped all over his body. Those had been used for some sort of simulated training, where he would see things that weren't there, and practice fighting.  
  
He'd tried to resist them, but men in dull green uniforms had beaten him, calling him horrible names, angry that this particular 'mutie scum' had not obeyed. He didn't know where he was, or why he was here, but he knew that they did not see him as a person. Only a tool, some sort of animal that could be trained to… trained to kill. From they're words and accents, he'd figured out that they were Americans.  
  
God help him, but it was working.  
  
They'd even started using something on him, some new sort of drug that they put into the back of his neck. He didn't know why they'd chosen that point, but it burned, and it made it almost impossible to think clearly. His body would obey their commands, even as his mind tried to object, tried to resist them.  
  
They sent him to go after the President. Even though he wasn't an American, the idea horrified him. He didn't know why these men were doing this, sending him to attack the President of the United States in the White House, but he had a feeling that he was being the expendable pawn in their plan. They were throwing him out to be the scary evil mutant that would hurt people… and due to that drug, he couldn't resist them. Not enough, anyhow.  
  
He only managed to stab the knife into the desk instead of the President, managing to not kill, despite their training, programming, and drugs. And he managed not to go back to them, knowing that if he did, they would either kill him, or continue to use him as a pet killer, sending him to terrify and kill for their whims. He'd rather die… He used his power, sending himself away, but not to anywhere he knew, just… hoping for safety, and towards the east.  
  
He felt almost as if he'd been stretched like a rubber band, and hadn't quite snapped back, materializing in the air over a bed, in what had to be a hotel room. The red haired young woman in the room had spun around eyes wide at the sudden intrusion, her lips parting even as he fell onto the bed. Kurt blinked once before everything faded to black.  
  
* * * *   
  
Willow had been relaxing in her hotel, enjoying her weekend trip to Washington DC. She'd gone out looking at several things, and had come back to change into something more casual for her trip back home. She'd only had the single weekend here, and then back to college. But then there had been a noise, a sort of soft 'bammmff' sound from behind her, and she'd turned, startled, curious.  
  
A blue shape had just appeared over the bed, something with glowing yellow eyes and a tail, looking almost like the common depiction of a demon, although she'd never actually seen a demon that looked like that. Actually, she'd never seen a demon that could teleport either. She had gasped, even as gravity had brought him down onto her bed in a tangle of limbs. Then, she realized that whatever he'd done to get in here had left him entirely exhausted, and he was now unconscious.  
  
Clearly, he wasn't here to attack her. It wouldn't make sense. So… could he be running away? Could it be that he wasn't a demon, but a mutant? Not that being a mutant instead of a demon would guarantee safety, but… What was he running from? Dinner… hmmm. Willow called room service and ordered a large veggie pizza, figuring that he'd probably be hungry when he woke up.  
  
He'd started moving, the tangle of arms, legs and tail becoming more of a curl, and Willow had the chance to get a look at his feet. She'd thought they looked different, and they definitely were. Two long toes in the front, and a toe in the back that curled down, almost like a bird's foot, but his toenails didn't look like bird talons. Scars marked his skin in curling patterns that looked familiar… with a sudden jolt, she recognized them. The oldest Hebrew texts had used markings like that as the names for angels… had he been trying to call on heavenly protection? Did he even know what they meant?  
  
He groaned, one hand pulled over his eyes. All of his muscles seemed to have tensed, as if waiting for some sort of disaster.  
  
"Would you like some pizza?" She tried to sound harmless, friendly and unafraid.  
  
"Pizza?" His voice sounded groggy, and there was a bit of an accent. "Pizza would be… very good. Danke."  
  
"It's veggie pizza, which I hope is okay. Here, have some." She smiled a bit, wondering exactly how a German sounding mutant ended up in Washington DC. "You're a mutant?"  
  
Her unexpected guest nodded, his mouth full of pizza. It almost looked like he hadn't had a decent meal in a while. She couldn't tell if he had any bruises, his skin was so dark to begin with… Swallowing, he looked at her, his eyes showing hope and worry, and a hint of pride. "I am Kurt Wagner, but at the Munich Circus, they called me the Amazing Nightcrawler. I performed on the trapeze."  
  
"But how did you end up here? And who were you running from?" Willow sat on the bed beside him, trying to make sense out of everything.  
  
"I was taken. I did not see them, and I do not know who they work for, but there are many soldiers, and many guns. There is much equipment… They do not like mutants, but they were taking us. Controlling us. I don't know why. But I don't want to go back to them." He sounded afraid, and a bit ashamed.  
  
"That's terrible…" Willow gasped, the idea seeming wrong on so many levels that she didn't want to think about that right now. "Do you have a place to go?"  
  
"Nein." He looked so sad, so lost.  
  
"Well… I can give you a lift out of Washington. I have to go back to New York, for college. I can take you with me. Maybe we can find you a place to stay? I mean, you can stay in my dorm if you have to, but it's about a third the size of the hotel room, so you'd probably want somewhere else eventually… and I'm babbling." She made the offer, not entirely certain that it was wise, but knowing that Kurt needed a bit of help. It was the right thing, the only thing that she could live with.  
  
"You... would do this for me?" He sounded so amazed, so desperately hopeful that it almost made Willow cry.  
  
"It's the right thing to do. To help people. And, umm… you sort of seem like you could use a bit of help." Willow smiled, remembering how much she'd risked to help Buffy. How she'd spent three years risking her life to help stop apocalypses before they'd started college, before Buffy's new boyfriend and his government funded demon hunters had made the Scoobies obsolete. She almost wondered if the Initiative had any connection to what had happened to Kurt…  
  
"But… will it not cause problems if you are seen walking with someone who looks like a dämon?" He sounded worried, one hand hovering over her sleeve, as if he wanted to touch her but wasn't certain he should.  
  
"I can put an illusion over you so that nobody remembers the blue… It's very distinctive." She looked at him, wondering how much to change to make him stand out less. "Hmm… if I hide the tail, make it look like human hands and feet…. How about if you end up looking sort of like Errol Flynn?"  
  
"Really? That would be wonderful." Kurt smiled, looking delighted at the idea.  
  
Concentrating, Willow started the illusion, shaping it around Kurt so that it would move as he did. His hair became darker, more black than blue, while his skin became lighter, more of an athletic looking tan, the scars hidden, his eyes more hazel than yellow. She also made the clothing stand out a bit less, the pants looking like worn jeans. "Okay, look in the mirror and let me know what you think."  
  
He walked over, looking at the image in the mirror with astonishment. "This is amazing… how?" He ran his hand over his face, looking at the image. "I can still feel the signs…"  
  
"I can't really change you. It's just an illusion, so that what people see isn't what's really there… And I'm not good enough to make the illusion tangible. But nobody will recognize you as Kurt Wagner the blue mutant while it's up. This way, we can leave DC without anyone who might be looking for you recognizing you, even if we walk right by them." Willow smiled, pleased by the way the illusion had settled around him. There wasn't even a distortion for the tail.  
  
They walked from the hotel, Kurt even helping Willow with her suitcase, partly out of a sense of honor, and partly to minimize the chance of anyone noticing the truth of his hands. He seemed to enjoy the walk to the car and the drive far more than normal, but… maybe he just didn't get many chances to do normal things without people staring?  
  
They talked about sword fighting, and the practicality of some of the impressive flips and maneuvers that would be so breath taking on film, and how some of them really worked if you tried them. It was a fun trip, and an enjoyable conversation.  
  
Kurt eventually decided that he would stay at an abandoned church. It wasn't visited except by the occasional secretive street person seeking a little holy water to try to protect themselves from the night. The statue of Mary and the vaulted ceiling were comforting to Kurt, and it was filled with shadows that he could vanish into.  
  
Willow wished him the best of luck, and promised to visit when she could.  
  
End Unexpected Visitor. 


	2. More Unexpected Visitors

author: Lucinda

contains nothing worse than the X-Men movies.

main characters: Willow, Kurt Wagner

disclaimer: I own nobody from BtVS or Marvel Entertainment/X-Men the Movie

distribution: Wic, WLS, NHA, Bite Me, Twisting, Paula, anyone else please ask.

note: FfA # 1673. Sequel to 'Unexpected Visitor' - AU post season 3. The Initiative is in Sunnydale, there was no ADAM, Willow felt unneeded and transferred to a different college.

Willow sighed as she ducked into the abandoned church. Scaffolding loomed in front of the stained glass windows, and the scent of dust was thick in the air. Her mother had called, wanting to know if she'd met any 'nice Jewish boys off at college' and if she was 'sleeping well and being careful in the parking lots, because there's so much crime on school campuses nowadays...' Willow hadn't mentioned that she'd been doing light patrols, conditioned by her years helping Buffy. She didn't mention slaying the occasional vampire or that she'd joined a local wiccan group in addition to going to the temple regularly.

Her roommate at the dorm room wasn't terrible, though she really didn't feel like she had much in common with Michelle. Michelle wanted to be a French teacher, and was fascinated by Orlando Bloom and Leonardo DiCaprio, as if there were no larger issues in life. Sometimes, Willow just had to get out, before she screamed in frustration of someone being that shallow.

"Willow? Is everything alright?" Kurt's voice echoed down from the darkness near the ceiling.

"My dorm mate is a shallow twit?" She offered, feeling herself smile. "I got tired of hearing about what a shame that poor Leo didn't get an Oscar and how absolutely cute Orlie looked in period clothing."

"Other than that, are you well?" There was a soft bamfing sound, and the smell of sulfur, and Kurt was there, his pale eyes gleaming in the shadowy room.

Her book bag thumped against the floor as she leaned forward to give him a hug. "Close enough. Lots of little frustrations that don't really mean much except that they're all happening at once, and there's the whole mess..."

"Does this city have a large vampire problem? There have been many poor people slipping in to pray for protection, and they leave with some of the Holy Water." Kurt shivered a little, and tugged her towards the pews. "I can not think of any other reason why they would do such things."

"I guess that depends on how you define a vampire problem." Willow sighed, feeling tired and worn for a moment. "There's a few, but nowhere near what I had to deal with back home."

"I would have said any vampire endangering people counted as a problem." Kurt murmured, and brushed a finger over the fading remnants of a bruise on her cheek. "Should I ask what it was like in your home?"

"Home was hell." Willow sighed, and glanced at her hands, and the multitude of tiny scars over them. "Actually, home was the Hellmouth, which isn't quite the same thing. More trees, the ocean, and dentists, all of which Angel said Hell doesn't have."

Kurt murmured something in Latin, a fragmented prayer as he pulled her in for a hug. "You do not need to be alone. I may not have been through everything that you have, but I can always listen."

Willow smiled, and leaned against his shoulder. "I remember how we first met, and I think you had your own version of hell that you suffered through. It's just that yours was because of people, not evil mystical convergences."

"Hardly a benefit." He admitted.

The hinges of the doors creaked.

Alarmed, Willow tried to duck down, and Kurt leaned forward, whispering, "You stay here, I will try to take a closer look."

There was a soft bamfing and the feeling of air moving, and Kurt was no longer in the pew with her. Willow closed her eyes, and tried to figure out what was happening. Nervous, she tried to mask her presence as best as she could. Who – or what – had entered the church? Vampires were unlikely, they really weren't much for churches. But there were still oodles of different types of demons, or even humans. And human didn't automatically equal nice. She thought that there were two of them, not quite normal, and probably female, though she really couldn't get much from one of the presences.

"Get out!" Kurt's voice echoed from the ceiling, made ominous and forbidding. "Get out!" More echoes, from a different corner of darkness. "Get out!"

Carefully, Willow peeked around the edge of the pew. She could see them, though they were facing the main alter of the church. Absently, Willow made a mental note to ask Kurt what that section of the church structure was called, she really wasn't sure about the terminology. One of them was a red haired woman, her hair brushing her shoulders and flipped in a rather nice style, dressed in a black leather bodysuit with long sleeves. The other figure had white hair, a bit longer, and sort of mini capes attached to her shoulders and wrists. She had the unshakable feeling that they were looking for Kurt.

The white haired woman spread her arms, palms upwards, and seemed to focus. The feeling of her presence changed, reaching out, touching the air. For a moment, Willow thought the white haired woman was a witch, especially when a wind started to circle around her. But the jagged lightning bolt that emerged from a cloud that shouldn't have been beneath the ceiling to blast thee rafter that Kurt had been perching on had none of the feel of magic to it.

Willow gasped as Kurt started to tumble downwards, trying to gather magic to herself and hoping that she wasn't about to see another friend suffer.

The redhead's hand shot out, and Kurt halted in midair. "Are you ready to talk to us?"

Willow's first thought was one of envy. This other redhead made floating something the size of a person look easy, and she'd actually caught him in the air. Her second thought was that she wouldn't have needed to catch him if her friend hadn't blasted at Kurt. She wasn't sure what to think of these two, but they were clearly very capable women.

"What can you remember about your attack on the President?" The redhead's voice was calm, as if she was unconcerned by the fact that they'd just blasted a church rafter and grabbed someone from the air.

Part of Willow wanted to know if anything would get through to the strange redhead, and another part was boggling on what she'd just heard. Kurt had attacked the President? No, he would never… He'd said the soldiers who had him had used something, tried to turn him into a puppet. That he hadn't been able to fight it completely, though he'd never said what they'd wanted him to do. Now she could see why.

But she didn't blame Kurt. It hadn't been his fault, and he'd done all that he could to fight them, to get away. And he hadn't killed the President, hadn't done more than scare the man and half his bodyguards into a tizzy.

The big question was – why would human soldiers be sending someone after the President? He'd thought the soldiers had sounded like Americans themselves, so why? What did they think it would gain?

"Can you remember anything before?" The other woman's voice was gentle, and carried an accent that Willow couldn't place.

Kurt was silent.

"Leave him alone." It took Willow a second to realize the words had come from her.

"Who..?" The redhead started to demand.

Willow felt a tickle at her mind, and scowled, strengthening her defenses and letting a sharp crackle of energy flow between the layers, enough to hurt if the other redhead tried to pry into hr mind again. "He's my friend, and I'm not going to stand back and let you hurt him."

The other redhead looked at Willow, and the tickling came again, right before the woman let out a gasp and clutched at her head, almost collapsing.

Willow moved towards Kurt, wanting to make certain that he wasn't injured. "Are you okay? They didn't hurt you? Red over there didn't try to walk around in your head?"

He gripped her hand, shaking his head. "I am uninjured. I… I don't know if she did or not. How could a person know?"

Willow could feel his tension, and she moved, trying to put herself between her friend and these strangers. "So, what sort of people come in and try to blast someone out of a church?"

"We only want to help him." The white haired woman spoke, her skin an unexpected chocolate brown. "Something frightening was done, through his actions, and we fear that greater troubles will come."

"I would not have done such a thing of my own free will, and they did not seek to frighten him." Kurt's words were soft, and his accent thicker. "But I do not know what benefit they thought there would be."

"Maybe both of them should come with us." The redhead commented, rubbing at her temples. "He might know more than he thinks, and I want to know how she…"

"How I kept you out of my head?" Willow asked, trying not to snap. "Are you familiar with the idea of personal space? Of privacy? My mind is a no trespassing zone."

"Jean…" The woman with the white hair tried to sooth her companion. "You wouldn't have wanted someone you didn't know trying to look into your mind. Please, come with us, it could be very important."

"My mother did tell me not to go away with strangers." Willow commented, still uncertain if she could trust these two. They were pretty, and capable, but those in no way meant they were nice or trustworthy.

"I am called Storm, and this is Jean Grey." The white haired woman spoke, a hint of a smile on her face. "Now that you know who we are, perhaps you will agree to accompany us?"

"As in, Dr. Jean Grey who spoke at the Senate hearing on mutants?" Willow blinked, feeling surprised. So the other redhead was pretty, telekinetic, and smart. Some people had all the luck.

"Yes." The other redhead looked surprised. "You were watching those?"

"I am Kurt Wagner." He slowly stood up, his hand resting on Willow's shoulder. "Perhaps we should go with them. If there was a purpose behind that, it can not be good."

Willow sighed, knowing that she had just been out argued. "Okay. Let me get my bag, because I'm going with you."

"Danke, Willow."

His smile almost made up for the way she'd panicked at the sight of him toppling downwards. "I just hope we don't regret this."

All Kurt could do was nod in agreement.

End More Unexpected Visitors.


End file.
